Overview
Jamie Oliver, of Britain’s Channel 4 documentary series “Jamie’s Kitchen”, began the Fifteen restaurant brand in 2002 with a flagship location in London. The name is derived from the celebrity chef’s apprenticeship program of training fifteen disadvantaged youth in the culinary arts and service management industries.
Fifteen in Cornwall overlooks the beach at Watergate Bay on the north coast of the county of Cornwall, UK. The restaurant offers slick, traditional Italian cuisine with a Cornish twist. The location features a high, open ceiling design and casual-chic interior with murals of pastel-colored surf scenes adorning the walls.
The developers of the property were determined to create a visual style for this new location as unique as that of Mr. Oliver’s approach to food. While adamantly determined not to copy the “faux-industrial” look of exposed metal ducting that has become so common in commercial locales, they were committed to adding a heating and cooling system that could deliver superior comfort as well as disappear into the background.
To meet these challenges, they turned to the Unico System.
Benefits of the Unico System
- Flexible design and installation
- Quiet operation
- Even, draft-free temperatures
- Discreet supply outlets
Strategy
The very features that make the Unico System attractive to the old home and custom home residential markets make it an optimal choice for commercial-built applications as well. The modular air handling equipment, smaller main trunk ducting and flexible supply ducting allow it to fit where conventional heating and cooling systems simply cannot.
Air handlers and the main ducting were situated outside of the main dining area and Unico System supply tubes were snaked through the sloped ceiling’s cavities to discharge conditioned air from the high side walls. The versatility of the Unico System’s terminating outlets allow it to fit seamlessly into Fifteen’s open design. Available in a slotted, 1-inch x 8-inch configuration, this version was chosen over the round 2-inch inner diameter option as it better blended with the interior’s distinctive murals.
Air distribution with the Unico System provides two additional benefits. Conditioned air gently circulates within the room’s existing air currents, eliminating the drafts that often create guest discomfort in restaurants. This gentle mixing also eliminates the phenomena of stratification (that is, alternating hot and cold spots) associated with conventional forced air systems, instead maintaining even temperatures throughout the dining room.
Results
Not only does the Unico System practically disappear within the interior design of Fifteen, but guests and staff alike are kept comfortable during the ever-changing seaside weather. Kitchens can be frightfully hot places in which to work but, due to the open design plan and the superiority of the Unico System’s air delivery method, staff have remarked that Fifteen’s kitchen is the most comfortable they’ve ever experienced.
On the other hand, with hard-to-see visual evidence, no drafts and even temperatures, guests are hardly aware of the heating and cooling system and are not distracted from enjoying a wonderful, healthy meal in a beautiful setting.
If there were a Michelin rating for comfort, the Unico System would undoubtedly receive 3 stars.
